Vienna Symphonic Library have extended the introductory pricing offer on their recently released Synchron Duality Strings library, as well as offering 30-day demo licenses as a part of a new writing contest. They have also announced that Vienna Ensemble Pro 7, Vienna Instruments Pro and Vienna Imperial all now offer native support for Apple’s M1 and M2 processors.
Synchron Duality Strings
VSL’s latest string sample library is the result of a unique approach: sampling two ensembles playing together, but in separate rooms. One large ensemble (52 players) was captured in the famous Stage a hall at the company’s Synchron Stage Vienna facility, whilst the second, smaller group (27 players) were recorded in the dryer-sounding Stage B. Despite the physical separation, both ensembles were able to monitor each other, with the conductor directing both groups thanks to a video link from the main hall.
A shot from the tracking sessions for Synchron Duality Strings.The result is two sets of samples with complete consistency in terms of note length, dynamics, vibrato and phrasing across all articulations, but with two distinctly different sounds thanks to the contrasting room acoustics and the inclusion of ‘bright’ and ‘dark’ microphone options in the smaller room. Users are able to blend between the two ensembles to arrive at their ideal sound, with the larger section offering a full symphonic sound, and the smaller ensemble boasting a clear and transparent quality that adds additional detail.
A wide variety of long and short articulations are present, with multiple legato variations joined by offerings such as col legno, tremolos, fast repetitions, trills, harmonics, glissandos, détaché runs and many more. There are two versions of the library available: Standard and Full. Both contain the same set of samples and articulations, but the Full version includes a wider choice of microphone signals.
Contest
The company are currently offering 30-day demo licences as part of the Duality Strings Contest, which invites users to download and complete a part-written piece created by composer and arranger Guy Bacos. More information on the contest can be found on the product page on VSL’s website.
Compatibility
Synchron Duality Strings runs in the company’s Synchron Player, which is supported on PCs running Windows 10 or 11, and Macs running macOS 10.14 and above. VST, VST3, AU and AAX versions are available. The Standard Library requires 121.2GB of disk space, whilst the full library occupies 242.3GB.
Pricing & Availability
Synchron Duality Strings is available now, and is being offered for the following introductory prices until 14 August 2023:
- Standard Library: €425 (reduced from €595)
- Full Library: €695 (reduced from €960)
Apple Silicon Compatibility
After many user requests, the free Vienna Instruments Pro software which hosts the company’s VI Series sample libraries is now able to run natively on Apple’s latest processors, as well as the Vienna Imperial player. A native version of their networkable plug-in and virtual instrument host and mixing software, Vienna Ensemble Pro, has also been released, and the updated version is installed alongside the previous Rosetta version, allowing users to run both at once if they are still using any software that isn’t yet compatible with Apple Silicon.
To celebrate the updates, VSL are currently offering a 45% discount across the entire range of VI Series Collections throughout August 2023, as well as 35% off of Vienna Ensemble Pro 7.
